Israel has authorized the Palestinian airport in the Gaza Strip to re-open early Wednesday, a Palestinian official said late Tuesday, in a concrete sign that the Middle East agreement struck earlier in the day was being adhered to.
The facility had been closed by the Israelis during a wave of violence between them and Palestinians, which has seen 111 people killed since September 28.
The re-opening of the airport was one of the stipulations of the Sharm el-Sheikh accord worked out between Palestinians and Israelis to end the unrest.
"The airport will be reopened from tomorrow and regular flights by Palestinian Airlines will resume normally, heading for Cairo, Jeddah and Amman," Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority President, Fayez Zidan, told AFP.
Yasser Arafat International Airport, in the south of the Gaza Strip, had been closed on October 8.
The move to reopen the airport came after US President Bill Clinton announced the conclusion of an accord between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Arafat on an end to the violence.
Among the points in the agreement were an end to the Israeli closure of the Palestinian territories and the reopening of the airport – GAZA CITY (AFP)
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